ILLINOIS — Cinco de Mayo, always observed on May 5, falls on a Tuesday this year, so the celebration of Mexican heritage and culture starts this weekend in many cities, including in Chicago.
This marks the second year in a row, Chicago's Cinco de Mayo Parade has been canceled due to concerns over resident safety amid Immigrations and Custom Enforcement policies.
The city's Pilsen neighborhood will host the 18th Annual Cinco de Mayo Rooftop Networking Celebration on May 1 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Held on the rooftop of the Godfrey Hotel, the celebration fosters connection among Latinx professionals in the city.
Children ages two to six. can learn about the history of Cinco de Mayo and make their own holiday-inspired crafts at Crown Family PlayLab PlayDate's Cinco de Mayo event, which takes place from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Other observances include:
Cicero Cinco de Mayo Festival
April 30 through May 3
Cicero Fairgrounds
According to its event page, Cicero's four-day Cinco de Mayo Festival offers bands performing traditional and regional Mexican music, food vendors, house music and more.
Cinco de Mayo Jeeps & Tacos Festival
May 3 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
4007 E. State St., Rockford
Rockford celebrates the holiday with their annual Cinco de Mayo Jeeps & Tacos Festival. The event features live music and Mexican folk dancing and food vendors that include Mexican restaurants.
There's a spicy torta abhogada eating contest too.
The festival also showcases more than 500 Jeeps from throughout the midwest and features more than 80 vendors.
DeKalb Cinco de Mayo
May 3 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Downtown DeKalb
Downtown DeKalb's Cinco de Mayo Festival features live music, food vendors, a car show and more.
Cinco de Mayo marks Mexico’s 1862 victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla, when an outnumbered Mexican army pulled off an unlikely win.
The date is often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day, which actually falls on Sept. 16 — decades after independence from Spain was secured.
While May 5 is an official holiday in Mexico, celebrations there are generally modest and largely centered in Puebla, where parades and ceremonies commemorate the battle. In contrast, the holiday has grown into a major cultural and commercial event in the United States.
Cinco de Mayo celebrations here date back to Mexican American communities in California in the years following the Battle of Puebla. The holiday spread nationwide during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and expanded further in the late 20th century, evolving into the widely observed — and often party-focused — occasion seen today.
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